Bengals vets enter final preseason game itching for regular season

The Colts will come to town on Thursday for the Bengals final match-up of the preseason. Although Marvin Lewis said Tuesday that he expects the starters to see the field, we won’t plan on seeing much of them… which leaves the vets itching for the regular season. When asked if he’s sick of preseason games and ready for the Week 1, A.J. Green said, “I’m ready, man. Now we’ll get to play some real football.”

But being ready for Week 1 isn’t new for the Bengals veterans. Vinny Rey confirmed that they’ve been waiting on that first game for quite some time, “We’ve been thinking about September 7th for a long time now.” That doesn’t mean they aren’t using Thursday night’s game to continue to improve, “I’m looking personally to get better on special teams in every aspect and on defense in every aspect. Just continue to get better so I can be rolling into the Ravens game and be ready to be an impact,” said Rey.

While the veterans won’t see the field much, this fourth preseason game is the last opportunity for the younger players to try to stand out. “I just need to go out there and show up and be the player that I am… show that on tape, show my talents off… It will be a great opportunity for me to get out there and show what I can do,” said linebacker Sean Porter who has spent most of his time in Cincinnati being injured.

Second-year running back Gio Bernard had some advice for the rookies as they enter their final preseason game, “Don’t make it any different than any other preseason game. I think you’ve got to go into it like a regular game. For rookies, the preseason is their regular season as well, so they just have to go into it with an open mind and play smart and play fast.”